Most students, alas, can think of quite a few things they would rather be doing than sitting in school. Class after class, assignment after assignment — it never seems to end. A bright spot for many students at Onteora High School, can be found on the playing field. Sports create a feeling of kinship among players, a way to have fun.
The wide range of sports varying in degree, difficulty, skills and intensity allows most students to find at least one sport that appeals to them.
Here’s a spotlight on a few of the predominant high-school sports on the varsity level:
Football
One of the brotherhoods to which I can personally attest is found in the football locker room. That terrible smell, a lot of Gatorade, and the experience of putting your pads on for your first day of getting absolutely steamrolled by a running back or linebacker. Everyone hurts together. The pride that comes with strapping on that helmet is something that always stays with a player, along with the relationships with teammates and coaches. That brotherhood becomes incredibly close in a smaller school with an 18-man team.
The smaller-school dynamic applies to accessibility as well. I only started playing in my sophomore year, and was instantly thrust onto varsity due to the lack of a JV team. After a severe uphill battle to get into playing condition, developing the skills and physique needed, I’ve been able to help the team. I was able to receive individualized assistance from coaches and more experienced players.
Someone definitely not new to football was senior captain Griffin Alterio. From a peewee league to flag, modified and varsity, Alterio has been through the ranks. He was the leader, a star running back, as well as being one of the most scholarly proficient people in the school.
Alterio doesn’t know whether he wants to continue playing in college. “Don’t let football get you down,” he advised. “Let football be its own thing and keep the world around you.”
Field hockey
Although it is one of the most popular sports worldwide, there aren’t enough players to constitute a JV team, meaning that sophomores are once again bumped up to varsity. As junior Ava Fox puts it, “Everybody definitely gets playing time.” A lot of the younger players don’t get as much as they would on a JV team, however. Clinics are held at the middle school to recruit future players.
Fox has found it can be discouraging playing against teams with more access to training and resources. Similarly to football, the coaches are very helpful and close with the team.
Basketball
It’s little surprise that varsity basketball is also one of the most popular high-school sports, It’s one of the few sports in which Onteora has varsity, JV and modified teams for both boys and girls. Junior Brenden Lomoe-Thomson, who has been playing on the varsity team since his freshman year, talked about the difficulty he faced after a position switch to point guard last year. After a lot of work during the off-season, he proved one of the best players on the team this season. “While my teammates aren’t always in my friend group, whenever we’re in basketball season, we always get along super-well and just have a lot of fun.” Lomoe-Thomson said. “We don’t keep it too serious.”
He loves the game of basketball and is thrilled to have the opportunity to play. While he’d prefer morning practices and workouts in the morning, he realizes that isn’t realistic in the Onteora setting.
Track
Spring track offers a large variety of roles and events, with something for almost anyone interested in athletics. I am predominantly a thrower. My experience involves mostly lifting and technique training.
The idea of chucking a metal ball and Frisbee as far as possible appealed to me. Additionally, I often run as one member of the 100-meter relay, which is a fun change of pace.
Track offers a wide range of events in which to compete in a single day. There are no barriers between schools, allowing far more interaction with other athletes than other sports. Track meets can often feel a bit confusing and cluttered, with events often overlapping. However, the chaos is just part of the fun.
Jumper and hurdler Abby Zeh describes how her history with gymnastics and dance helped her grow her track skills. She describes her experience as having its ups and downs, “but I really do love jumping.”
Sports help to bring a sense of pride, accomplishment and unity to a player, team and school and contribute to a sense of identity and values such as teamwork and sportsmanship. The benefits and friendships formed in school athletics last a player a lifetime. I recommend anyone with the opportunity to try out for a school sport, and those past the age to support their local teams as much as possible.
David Troeger is a student in the mentorship program at Onteora High School who has been working with Hudson Valley One writer Crispin Kott. The photos are by Natalie Hastie, who has been working with Ira L. Black, a professional sports and portrait photographer, in a mentorship program at Onteora High School.
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